An activist protesting the Vatican's ties to bullfighting threw herself under the Popemobile.
On Thursday, September 26, during Pope Francis's visit to Luxembourg, his motorcade was attacked by activists protesting animal cruelty during bullfighting. Animal rights group PETA claims that these competitions are often dedicated to Catholic saints, and that the bullfighters are blessed by local priests.
The incident was reported by Politico.
The published footage shows that as spectators lined the street along which the 87-year-old pontiff rode in the popemobile, one of the protesters jumped over the fence and fell to her knees in front of the vehicle. She held a sign calling for a ban on bullfighting and demanded that the Pope “stop torturing bulls.”
The Pope's guards quickly pulled the woman away and detained her along with two other activists.
PETA said the protesters were injured during their arrests, but added that the “violence” was minor compared to the cruelty to animals in bullrings bullfighting.
“PETA begs Pope Francis to end the Church's involvement in brutal, unchristian bullfighting,” the animal rights group said in a statement.
Bullfighting, in which a bull is killed in front of a crowd, is practiced in Spain, Portugal, and southern France, as well as in parts of Latin America. However, the bloody competition is banned in the UK and Italy.
Recall that Pope Francis previously shared a meal with a group of transgender women, many of whom are sex workers who emigrated from South America.
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